The groundbreaking new law requires clergy to report suspected cases of sexual abuse to their superiors — and report cases where abuse had been covered up. The law doesn't completely meet the demands of victims' groups.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Spaziani
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Pope Francis signed off on a new law for the Catholic Church on Thursday to hold bishops accountable for sexual abuse or for covering it up.
The changes to protect whistleblowers come after years of pressure and numerous child sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church around the world.
What is in the new church law:
All priests, nuns and other clerics are required to "promptly" report cases of child or adult sex abuse to Catholic Church authorities.
They are required to report as well if they suspect a clergy member has child pornography or that a superior covered up any sexual misconduct or sexual abuse.
Dioceses around the world are required to have a system in place to confidentially receive the claims.
The victims and their families are to be welcomed and treated with respect, as well as provided with medical support and psychological help.
Complaints can be reported directly to the Vatican if needed.
Clerics should follow local laws on whether they are required to report alleged sexual abuse to law enforcement.
The new law is the latest move by Pope Francis to respond to global backlash over the church's sexual abuse scandalsImage: AP
The head of the US bishops conference welcomed the law. Houston Cardinal Daniel DiNardo said US committees were already working on preparing measures to implement it. The edict is a "blessing that will empower the church everywhere to bring predators to justice no matter what rank they hold in the church," he wrote in a statement Thursday.
'Learn from the bitter lessons of the past'
In the introduction to the new church law, Francis said that "concrete and effective actions" involving everyone in the Catholic Church are needed to combat sexual abuse in the future.
"The crimes of sexual abuse offend Our Lord, cause physical, psychological and spiritual damage to the victims and harm the community of the faithful," he wrote.
"Even if so much has already been accomplished, we must continue to learn from the bitter lessons of the past, looking with hope towards the future," Francis added.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the head of the Vatican office for bishops, said that it's time for bishops and other higher-ups in the church to conform to certain strict rules, as is already expected of priests.
"It's not just a law, but a profound responsibility," he said.
Bishops and other religious superiors are only accountable to the pope. Only a few have been removed from their posts or sanctioned after serious reports of misconduct became public.
8 films portraying Catholic Church sex abuse
"By the Grace of God," premiering in Berlin, depicts the Church's attempted cover-up of a sex abuse scandal. Such cases have long been explored by feature films. Here are a few memorable works.
Image: Jean-Claude Moireau
'By the Grace of God' (2019)
Francois Ozon's Berlinale entry focuses on the true story of a group of sex abuse victims who've formed an association to break the silence, years after they were molested by a priest in Lyon. The father's widespread abuse was known by his diocese's cardinal and even the Vatican. The actual Cardinal Barbarin, who attempted to cover up the case, is now on trial and could end up in prison.
Image: Jean-Claude Moireau
'Spotlight' (2016)
Based on a true story, this biographical drama directed by Tom McCarthy follows a team of reporters from "The Boston Globe" as they uncover systemic child sex abuse by Catholic priests in their city. "Spotlight" garnered six Oscar nominations and won for best picture and best screenplay. The actual investigation also earned a Pulitzer Prize in 2003.
Dark images, silhouetted actors shown out of focus: It's the cinematography of a horror film. Chilean director Pablo Larrain tackled an explosive topic in "The Club," in which four retired Catholic priests live in a secluded house and there "purge" horrible crimes, including child sex abuse. Larrain was inspired by true stories of high-level priests who live in hiding to avoid criminal charges.
Image: Fabula
'Verfehlung' (2015)
The German film "Verfehlung" (Misconduct) by Gerd Schneider depicts how the friendship of three priests is affected by a sex abuse scandal. One of them is accused of molesting teenage boys, and the two others react to their friend's situation in different ways. The way they deal with the truth could impact not only their relationship, but also their career in the ranks of the Church.
Image: Camino-Filmverleih
'Philomena' (2013)
With "Philomena," Stephen Frears deals with another aspect of the Church's institutional abuse: women who were forcibly separated from their children born out of wedlock. The film is based on the true story of Philomena Lee, whose son was taken away by the nuns at the convent where she was forced to work and sold to wealthy Americans. Actress Judi Dench portrayed the older Philomena.
Image: Imago/Zuma Press
'Bad Education' (2004)
While Pedro Almodovar's drama "Bad Education" is a stylized murder mystery playing on different levels of metafiction, it also tells the story of a young boy being molested by a Catholic priest in his boarding school. Ignacio, the abused child, is later a transgender woman who confronts the abusive father and blackmails him.
Image: Imago/United Archives
'The Magdalene Sisters' (2002)
The Magdalene Asylums, also known as Magdalene laundries, were Catholic Church institutions that served as a reformatory for women labelled as "fallen." Peter Mullan's 2002 drama portrays one such home, telling the story of four young women who were sent there by their families, or caretakers, and who faced extreme cruelty and abuse by nuns. The last such institution closed in 1996.
Image: picture-alliance/United Archives/Impress
'Primal Fear' (1996)
A 19-year-old altar boy (Edward Norton, in his Oscar-nominated film debut) is accused of brutally murdering an influential Catholic Archbishop. An ambitious defense lawyer (Richard Gere) takes on his case. In the course of the trial, it is revealed that the beloved archbishop had abusive tendencies and had forced altar boys into sex.
Image: Imago/United Archives
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Stopping short of victims' demands:
Victims and their families have long criticized bishops and others in the church hierarchy escaping justice for either committing abuse or covering it up, as well as for failing to protect their congregations from predatory priests.
They've called on the church for years to put concrete measures in place to tackle the problem. The measures outlined in Francis' law fall short of demands from victims' groups calling for offending clerics to be immediately fired, or for abuse reported to a priest during a confession to be reported.
